Transition Planning

Are you a hard of hearing or deaf youth attending high school and just not sure what employment is best for you? Or are you not sure which college or university you should go that has the best program based on your career plan and your access needs? If yes, then this web site is for you. This information covers a wide range of topics associated with transition planning for youth who are deaf and hard of hearing, their parents, teachers, schools, employers, community agencies and providers of higher education.

The transition planning process is already well established within School Boards and Schools for the Deaf in Ontario. Working with your family and your teachers on high school transition planning is very important. This website is intended to provide additional suggestions and information within the specific context of youth who are culturally Deaf, oral deaf deafened or hard of hearing. For ease of reading we will use the terms deaf and hard of hearing to refer to the various consumer groups. It is important to know that The Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) works with and supports all persons with hearing loss regardless of their communication modes or preferences, their lifestyles, technology preferences, etc.

Specific topics include appropriate online career assessment tools, supplementary assessment tools supporting the generic career assessment tools related to hearing loss, the importance of self-advocacy, funding, determining your accommodation needs, equity testing, working with employers, etc. There are some important details associated with transition planning that are not readily available through regular transition planning channels.

A transition plan, based on a number of sources through school boards and career planning groups, is:

Identifying goals for work, further education, and community life that:

are based on realistic opportunities and resources that are likely to be available after the youth leaves school

can be accomplished by the youth with appropriate supports

Providing an action plan, year after year, to help the youth achieve his or her goals

A definition of the roles and responsibilities of the youth, family and others supporting his or her action plans

Throughout this website you will find specific tools including profiles of hearing ratings on jobs, useful tools for parents regarding accommodation needs, additional information in financing your training including scholarship sources, training-on-the-job opportunities through employers, tapping into employers who will work with those who are deaf or hard of hearing, the latest technologies that support communication access, community resources relevant to transitions for youth who are deaf or hard of hearing, including those with additional disabilities, and other transition resources available through various websites.

This project is made possible through funding by the Career Counselling Foundation with staff resources through The Canadian Hearing Society.

We welcome your feedback. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact CHS at info@chs.cawith the subject line “Youth Transition”.